Quick answerManchester is a city in the United Kingdom, with 588,256 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 2.9 million people in 2025. It is best known for World's first industrialised city and the Manchester United and Manchester City. Its official language is English, and its currency is the Pound sterling.
Manchester is a city in North West England, with 588,256 residents in 2025. It is the centre of the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which has about 2.87 million people. The city was the world's first industrialised city and is known today for football, music and science.
Key facts
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 588,256 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 2,870,000 (2025) · Greater Manchester Built-up Area, 2021 census (Greater Manchester Combined Authority; published as 2.87 million) |
| Time zone | Europe/London |
| Language | English |
| Currency | Pound sterling (GBP, £) |
| Coordinates | 53.4794° N, 2.2453° W |
Overview
Manchester is a city in North West England and the centre of Greater Manchester. It began as the Roman fort of Mamucium, founded around AD 79, and it remained a small market town until the 18th century, when cotton spinning made it the world's first industrialised city. The city's mills, warehouses and canals powered the Industrial Revolution, and the Manchester Ship Canal, opened in 1894, linked it to the Irish Sea.
About 588,000 people lived in Manchester in 2025, and about 2.87 million in the Greater Manchester Built-up Area. The city declined after the Second World War as its industries closed, but it rebuilt itself from the 1990s onwards, and it hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002. Manchester is known for its football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City, and for its music, from the Smiths and Joy Division to Oasis.
Manchester is also a city of science: the first stored-program computer was built here, the element graphene was isolated at the University of Manchester, and the city is home to the Museum of Science and Industry. Its town hall, its libraries and its canals are reminders of its industrial past, and its Northern Quarter is known for its bars, shops and street art.
What Manchester is known for
- World's first industrialised city
- Manchester United and Manchester City
- Music scene (Oasis, The Smiths)
- Science and innovation (graphene)
- Canals and cotton mills
Landmarks
- Manchester Town Hall
- John Rylands Library
- Manchester Cathedral
- Museum of Science and Industry
- Castlefield
- National Football Museum
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Manchester?
Manchester had 588,256 residents in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. The wider Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which includes Salford, Bolton and Stockport, had about 2.87 million people in the 2021 census. Manchester itself is smaller than Birmingham, but its conurbation is larger.
Where is Manchester and what is it known for?
Manchester is in North West England, about 260 kilometres north-west of London and about 55 kilometres east of Liverpool. It stands where the rivers Irwell and Medlock meet, at the edge of the Pennines. The city is known for its football clubs, its music and its industrial past, and its coordinates are 53.48° N, 2.25° W.
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Keep exploring
- United Kingdom — the country Manchester is in
- London — another city in the United Kingdom
- Birmingham — another city in the United Kingdom
- Edinburgh — another city in the United Kingdom
- Charles Darwin — English science figure
- Isaac Newton — English science figure
- All cities in the United Kingdom
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.